Reclining chair



2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

I F, D. WILT, REULINING CHAIR.

Patent edJune 15,-1886.

. v. q y r 1 1 wv PETERS. n wm'ha nmr. Wuhinglun, u. c.

UNITED STATES FRANK D. WILT, OF ALLENTOWVN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TOBENNO F. SOHLEGEL, OF SAME PLACE.

EErcE.

RECLiNlNG-CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 343,654, dated June15,1886.

Application filed December 31, 1885. Serial No. 187,272. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK D.,WILT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Allentown, in the county of Lehigh, State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reclining-Chairs,of which the following is a specification, refer-' ence being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to recliningchairs of that particularconstruction which embodies a suspended seat and back portion pivotallyconnected to each other, and provided with means for adj ustablyretaining the seat and back in a desired position.

Heretofore chairs of the particular kind to which my invention is, inthis instance, applied, have been constructed with a supporting-linkpivoted to the front portion of the frame-work and to the sides of theseat-frame near its front edge, the links serving to sup-' port the seatand permit of a forward and rear ward movement of the same, while theback corners of the seat and the adjacent lower edge of the back werealso suspended from the framework by links, of which one was connectedat two points to the frame-work ofthe back and at one point to the mainframe-work--that is, at a point in the arm portion thereof-while theother of said links was secured to the side of the seat-frame and to itscompanion link, whereby, in any inclination of the back, the seat iscarried forward, so that these two portions of the chair could bebrought into the same horizontal plane.

The device employed'for retaining the parts in a desired positioncomprised a rack-bar having coarse teeth connected to the seat portion,arranged centrally thereunder, and passing over a rod arrangedtransverselyunder the rack-bar, so that the rod could be raised into thepath of the rack-bar to take into one of the teeth thereof, where it wasintended to be held merely by the friction of the rod and bar upon eachother.

It has been found by experience that the .devices described forretaining the chair in a desired inclined position were unreliable, inthat by a slight movement of the sitter the rod would fall by gravityout of connection with the rack-bar, and, by reason of the weight of thesitter, the seat and back of the chair were thrown out of a desiredposition.

Reclining-chairs have also been constructed with a base having curvedupper edges, upon which theseat-frameis mounted, and provided with onemember of a rack-and-pawl mechanism, the other member of which wasarranged in the base, whereby the seat portion could be adj ustablysecured in a desired position.

'The primary object of my invention is to provide more satisfactorydevices for maintaining the moving parts of the chair in a de siredadjusted position. I also provide other means than the weight of thesitter forreturning the back and seat from an inclined to their normalposition, and a compactlyarrangcd foot-rest; and my invention consistsin certain features of construction hereinafter described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation with portionsbroken away, and Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of a chairprovided with myimprovements. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are details hereinafterdescribed.

Like letters of reference indicatelike' parts in all the figures.

In this instance, what I designate as the frame-work A of theseatportion of the chair is mounted upon a base, B, the lower edges beingrounded off to form rockers, and the usual coiled springs, C, areemployed to make the proper connection between the base and the framework. If desired, however, the frame-work may be extended in the form oflegs, when it is desired to have other than a rocking-chair, as shown bythe dotted lines X X, Fig. 2.

To the seat portion of the frame-work A, as at A, and upon each side ofsaid frame, is pivoted the supporting-link A the opposite end of whichis pivoted to the seat-frame C at A, while the link A is pivoted to thesame ,franie-work at A, and rigidly secured, as at D D to the frame ofthe back D. A short link, 0, is pivotally secured, as at G", to the seat0, and to the link A at O. This arrangement of suspension-links isduplicated at each side of the seat and back, so that when the back isdownwardly inclined the seat r00 moves to the front, as hereinbeforementioned. I lay no claim to the particular arrangement of thesuspension-links above described.

One feature of my invention has particular reference to the retainingrack-bar E, which is pivoted to the seat-frame at E, and extendedopposite the pivot to form a hook or arm, E the lower edge of the barbeing provided with ratchet-teeth E. At the hook E is connected a coiledor it may be any other suitable form of spring, F, which is extendedrearwardl y and connected to the framework-- for example, by means of ahook, F. The rack-bar passes over a fixed tooth, G, secured to the innersurface of theframe-work, where, also, is provided a cam-lever, H,having a thumb-piece, H, arranged above the bar E, so that the same maybe operated to force the bar downwardly upon the fixed tooth G.

by the construction thus far described it will bcseen that the singlerack-bar arranged at one side of the seat, and between the frame thereofand the frame-work of the chair, is adapted to perform the desiredfunctions in the following manner: \Vhen desired tochange theinclination of the back of the chair, the canrlever H is raised to avertical position, as shown in Fig. 3, when, by the tension of thespring 1*, the free end of the bar is elevated so that the teeth on thelower edge thereof pass over the fixed tooth G, whereby free movement ofthe rack-bar and a forward or backward movement of the seat is possible.Now, it will be' noticed that as the back is downwardly inclined and theseat moved to the front. the tension or strain upon the spring F isincreased, and when the chair is brought t the desired ad;justmentas tothe inclination of its back-the same is retained in position by simplyturning down the cam lever H, whereby the bar is depressed and broughtand retained in firm contact with the fixed tooth. It will be. furthernoticed that when it is de sired to bring the back upward to or nearlyto, an upright position, simply raising the camlever H releases the barfrom contact with the fixed tooth and the tension of the spring servesthe desired purpose, whether the chair is occupied by a sitter or not.When the rack-bar is once forced down upon thefixed tooth by the actionof the canrlever, the

not possibly release the bar, nor can the inclination of the chair bechanged by any tionable feature is completely overcome.

In order to provide a simple and satisfactory foot-rest, I remove thelower portion, 0*, of the front board, 0 of the seat, and attach thesame to a frame comprising opposite side rails, I, and a front rail, 1'-I also secure, the foot-board proper, J, which may or may not beupholstered, as shown, to the inner surface of the side rails, L, as atJ, so that said footboard may turn upon its pivots upwardly between theside rails and over onto the end rail, 1, and front board, 0 as shown indotted or the fixed portion of the chair.

lines, Fig. 2. No rear crossrail is employed, in order that the siderails may move within and along the inner surfaces of the seat-frame,and because said rear cross-rail would interfere with the springs K ofthe seat. The springs K of the seat-those arranged near its front-aresupported upon a cross-board or cleat, K", whereby a recess is formedfor the reception of the foot-board and its adja cent supporting partswhen moved inwardly or closed after the manner of a drawer, and when soclosed the front of the seat proper presents an unbroken, finishedappearance. I support the foot-rest by passing said rails I thereof overlugs, L, formed on the castings L. secured to the inner surface of eachof the side rails of the seat-frame beneath the cleat K. At the end ofeach side rail, I, is secured a casting, M, having alug, M, adapted totake 1 into notches or teeth L, formed in the rear edge of the castingsL, so that when the footrest is withdrawn the lugs M come into contactwith the edge of the casting L, and by placing the lugs into one or theother of the teeth L different inclinations of the foot-rest withrelation to the seat may be secured, as

clearly indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 4. I do not, however, claim theconstruction of the foot-rest shown and described.

As before indicated, I do not limit my invention to reclining-chairsmounted upon a base, as a rocker; nor doI limit myself to the exactdetails of construction herein shown and described and not claimed, butreserve my right to vary the same in any manner and to any extent,provided any changes and modifications which I may make are the resultsolely of mechanical skill of persons conversant with the constructionof articles of furniture of this class. By reason of the arrangement ofthe links A A, the former being below and the latter above the movableseat, portion, said portion moves in an irregular line, and thereforethe rack-bar E must be pivotally connected with either the movableHeretofore, as ispossi-ble, a fixed rack-bar has been secured to themovable portion, but said movable portion was supported upon or moved inthe arc of a true circle, to which the fixed rack-bar conformed. weightand movements of an occupant can! Having thus fully described myinvention, its operation and construction, what I claim,

. and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isordinary use of the. same,so that this objec- 1. In a chair of the class described, a rack- 1 barpivotal'ly secured toa movable seat-frame,

supported by pivotal links, as described, a rigid tooth secured to afixed part of a seatframe, and a lever arranged above the free end ofthe rack-bar for forcing said bar upon said tooth, substantially asspecified.

2. In a reclining-chair, the combination,

with the fixed frame-Work and the movable seat portion supported bypivotal links,as described, of a rack-bar pivotally connected to theseat portion at its side, and a. rigid tooth mounted on the fixedframe-work adjacent to said side of the seat portion, and alever pivotedabove said tooth and projecting over said frame-work and at the otherend to the rackb'ar, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the rack-bar E, pivoted, as at E, to the seat 0,and having the lateral projection or hook E, with the fixed tooth G,cam-lever.H H, and the spring F, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK D. WILT.

Witnesses:

EDWARD X. RENINGER, J ACOB D. BURGER.

